One Step Forward
by The Anime Sage
Summary: Jaune Arc is tired and beaten. However a new chance to live again is within his grasp and he is determined to protect everyone. Armed with the knowledge and skill of the future, he will once more whether the storm for his friends, his family and his loved ones.
1. Prologue

**One Step Forward**

 **So right now, I'm in the midst of watching some RWBY and I can't help but wonder, how can I make Jaune more than his canon self? So I turn to many sources of inspiration to see if I could make it so, this prologue will be here to see if it can garner interest. If there is more than 15 follows/favourite, I will continue with this story.**

 **If anyone feels brave enough to BETA feel free to leave a PM.**

 **Prologue**

* * *

Jaune Arc was many things but the one thing he was feeling at the moment was exhausted. He felt worn out at fighting Grimm. He felt tired of fighting a pointless war. He felt fatigued at living in this world. Most important of all, he was tired of losing.

Jaune's state could be summed up in that one word and its many synonyms.

Right now, the aching in his muscles screamed at him, the sheer exhaustion weighing him down from the sleepless nights and the blood pouring from his stomach slowly whittled his life away. Jaune's back was against the wall and standing before him was the mastermind of this destruction and chaos.

Salem.

"Jaune Arc...do you feel your end approaching? I must confess I had always found your defiance...admirable." The deathly pale woman spoke with respect clear in her tone and she looked upon the fallen knight with a soft smile. "That is what is so fascinating with you humans...always defying fate until the very end."

Jaune clutched at his mortal wound, blood seeping between his fingers. His breathing became more ragged, the more his life drained. He gripped Crocea Mors tightly. He tried pushing himself up one more time. He tried calling his body to defy fate once again. To win.

Salem glided towards his broken body, graceful and deadly like a viper ready to strike at its prey.

"Shh, rest now… you no longer need to fight. Not when you've already failed." Jaune glared heatedly at Salem, his blue eyes like chips of ice.

"Your team, your friends, your family are all gone." Salem enjoyed the way his muscles tensed at the mention of his family. The contempt for her filled his entire being and she enjoyed every second of it. The torment that she inflicted upon him filled her with ecstasy. And how could she not feel victorious in this moment? The man who had defied her for twenty long years. "Everyone you have known, everyone you have cared for and especially little Ruby Rose. You let them die."

"RAHHH!" He roared, the blade whistled through the air and sliced through flesh. Salem's immaculate face was scarred and her smile turned into shock then a fierce scowl. She slapped him in the face for his insolence and knocked away his sword.

"Our little game is over, I'm not playing anymore." She gazed at him once again and her foot struck his wrist, turning the bones into powder. He had no aura left but he wouldn't cry out, he wouldn't groan or whimper to show that it hurt he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. She picked up Crocea Mors and held the blade in her hands delicately, caressing it.

"As a knight, it should be fitting that you should die by your sword." She looked down upon him once again and he held his gaze towards her. All the hate, rage and wrath directed at her that she flinched before recovering herself.

"I will kill you." His voice held such conviction that it surprised even her.

"You continue to surprise me, but how will you kill me when you're already dead." She thrust the blade forward towards his heart, the blade ripping through the organ, pinning his body to the wall. Jaune gasped and blood spilled from his mouth, his head bowed. "I shall you remember you fondly, Jaune Arc."

Salem leaned towards him and held his chin up. She beheld the man before her and gave him a kiss, the blood wiped onto her lips where she licked it sensually.

Jaune's vision blurred as the woman walked away. The fires were coming closer. Everything started to darken and Jaune began to wonder and regret.

'I'm sorry, everyone.'

* * *

Jaune awakened to find himself in a small room with a dim light fixed in the center of the room. There were no doors just four grey walls he could make out, the shadows dominating every corner. He looked down to find that there was no blood on him, no gaping wounds, it was all fixed.

SO ANOTHER ARC COMES INTO MY DOMAIN… A cloak figure shuffled from the corner of the room before he moved forward and stood before Jaune. The being had its hood up and the dim light didn't help Jaune see into the hood. It stood tall over Jaune and he could feel a cold chill run down his spine.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Jaune stared fearlessly into the hood. The hooded being tilted its head, its gaze piercing through Jaune, staring at him as if he was a fascinating specimen.

I AM THE END OF ALL THINGS, JAUNE ARC. YOU KNOW IT. YOU CAN SENSE IT, the cloaked figure boomed at him.

"You're death." Jaune said simply.

THAT IS CORRECT. AND AS TO WHY YOU ARE HERE. YOU ARE NEEDED, JAUNE ARC. The skeletal hand moved from within the cloak and withdrew a wicked-looking scythe that Ruby would have gushed over.

Whether it was the shock from his death or the stress caused by the war but Jaune didn't care stared openly at death until he began to snigger His snigger turned into a full-blown laugh that became hollow.

"Me? Why would you need me? I can't even do anything." Memories of those he had failed flashed in his mind, their lifeless bodies staring at him. He didn't know how long he laughed but it turned into a horrible sob, he fell to the ground wailing for his friends and family to forgive him. Death merely stood there, waiting, staring down at the mortal on the ground.

ON THE CONTRARY, JAUNE ARC, YOU DO HAVE THE POWER. YOU ARE A CATALYST, AN INSTRUMENT THAT I CANNOT ALLOW TO BE DESTROYED. Death mused that his words fell on deaf ears as Jaune stared at the ground with lifeless eyes.

AND IF YOU FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS THEN PERHAPS YOU CAN UNDO YOUR MISTAKES. Jaune's head whipped up so fast that Death had to wonder how he didn't die from whiplash.

"What, how!?"

THROUGH A DEAL, AN ACCORD BETWEEN MORTAL AND IMMORTAL. Death gestured simply.

"Ok, let's say I go through this deal, I get a new chance at life and then what? What will I have to give in return?" Jaune considered his words carefully, he didn't want to anger the being before him.

THERE WILL COME A POINT IN TIME WHERE I WILL REQUIRE YOUR SERVICES IN A WAR THAT WILL AFFECT CREATION ITSELF. I HAVE BEEN GATHERING OTHER WARRIORS TO HELP COMBAT THIS THREAT. Death stated truthfully before he mused to himself. I WONDER IF THE WEAVER WILL TAKE PART AS WELL?

"Wait what war? And how would I prepare for this, I'm just a human being. I can't take on whatever it is you're facing."

THEY ARE OLD GODS AND NO, YOU CANNOT, NOT YET. BUT YOU WILL, SOON. Death said ominously. WILL YOU AGREE TO THIS ACCORD?

Jaune paused for a moment and determination filled his eyes. "I accept."

COME, JAUNE ARC. YOUR DESTINY AWAITS. Death gestured towards the door that appeared in the room. Jaune had no idea where it came from but he made his way over to find himself surrounded by the vastness of space and stars. Large crystal mirrors floated around and Jaune could see… himself? Different versions of him, he mused.

"What is this place?" Jaune stared in awe and Death forward from the room, the door disappearing as it closed behind him.

THIS IS THE NEXUS. IT IS WHERE I AND MANY OF MY COUNTERPARTS CAN MONITOR THE MANY WORLDS AND UNIVERSES THAT ARE IN DEATH'S DOMAIN. Death continued and gestured to one crystal mirror. In it, Jaune could see himself but with dark tinted glasses and a mysterious smile on his lips ruffling Ruby's hair as she stared back in shock.

IN THIS UNIVERSE, AN ACCIDENT RENDERED YOU BLIND. HOWEVER YOU WERE TRAINED BY A HUNTSMAN, YOU KNOW HIM AS QROW, WHO HONED YOUR SENSES WHERE YOU WERE ABLE TO BECOME A HUNTSMAN YOURSELF. Death put his skeletal hand over the mirror and a silver orb floated in his hand.

YOU WILL NEED THIS. Death allowed the silver orb to float from his hand to Jaune where it entered his chest.

"What did you do?"

IT WILL BE CLEAR IN DUE TIME. Death gestured to another crystal mirror. IN THIS WORLD, YOU BECAME A HUNTSMAN THROUGH PURE SKILL ALONE AND YOU NEVER UNLOCKED YOUR AURA. YES, YOUR SKILLS WERE QUITE LEGENDARY INDEED. Once more another orb flew into Jaune's chest.

"All these other versions of myself, why don't you choose one of them?" Death paused before moving towards another mirror, shaking his head at what he saw.

YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED TOTAL LOSS, YOU REALISE WHAT THE STAKES ARE AND YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. Death looked into another mirror before the orb flew into Jaune a third time. A QUALITY THAT I REQUIRE.

"I'm so glad, my loss and suffering is so useful to you." He remarked bitterly. Death once again stared back at Jaune. JAUNE ARC, I HAVE OBSERVED YOUR SPECIES MANY TIMES. I DO NOT BELIEVE I HAVE THE SAME DRIVE THAT IS SO INHERENT IN YOU HUMANS WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR.

"And this loss is what's going to drive me to win then."

YES BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND MY REASONING ON WHY I REQUIRE YOU. I AM A FUNDAMENTAL FORCE OF REALITY. MY JOB IS TO TAKE LIFE. SOMETHING WITH THE POTENTIAL TO DESTROY ALL LIFE IS A THREAT TO MYSELF. IF THERE IS NO LIFE, THERE IS NO DEATH. YOU CAN SAY THAT YOU ARE MY DRIVE. I NEED YOU TO PROTECT MY PURPOSE.

Jaune blinked in surprise not having expect that answer and Death moved once more and gestured towards a mirror where his mother was holding a baby, sobbing uncontrollably.

YOU WILL RETURN TO THIS WORLD, WHERE YOU DIED SHORTLY AFTER YOU WERE BORN.

"Wait how did this version of me die?" Two more orbs flew into his chest and Death put a hand on his chest. A faint glow resonated around his body.

YOUR BODY WAS TOO WEAK AND IT DIED NATURALLY. HOWEVER SINCE I DO NEED YOU IN TOP CONDITION, I WILL ALSO GIFT YOU WITH A STRONGER BODY WHEN YOU GO.

"So this is it, this is my chance to live again?" Jaune said wistfully, hope rising once more.

TAKE THIS CHANCE, JAUNE ARC. SEE IT AS A BENEFIT FOR BEING MY INSTRUMENT. Death pushed him into one of the mirrors and delivered his parting words. LIVE WELL, I WILL RETURN TO COLLECT WHAT IS OWED.

* * *

Juniper Arc cried openly as she reached out to the incubator where her son was but instead held onto the person next to her, a blonde-bearded man who shed tears as well. They didn't want to believe that their newborn son was dead. The doctor bowed his head solemnly to the side.

"I'm sorry but your son's heart stopped beating, there was nothing we could do." The doctor's voice was low and his eyes showed the sadness at the death of someone who just came into this world.

"Can I at least hold him? To say goodbye." She sniffed and the doctor nodded in response. The small bundle was given to her and in there was a lifeless baby.

"Oh Jaune, I miss you so much. I wish you were still here, with us. My baby, I love you." Juniper kissed his forehead, hugging him closely until a small cry startled her. She looked down into the bundle to see her baby crying. Breathing. Alive. Tears welled up into her eyes again but instead of tears of sadness it was joy.

"Alex, look he's breathing, he's alive!" Everyone looked at the baby in shock and the Arc family rejoiced that their newborn son would get to live.

* * *

Please leave a follow, favourite and reviews.


	2. Last Living Souls

**One Step Forward**

 **Wow I did not expect such an awesome response from you guys, seriously as I'm typing this 50 favourites, 73 followers and 9 reviews, that is awesome for a prologue and I'm really hoping not to disappoint you guys. I want to give a shout out to one of my main inspirations for writing this story, RebukeX7, check out his stuff, his work is absolutely incredible.**

 **Ramlin: I feel like this will take less than 5 chapters to get to Beacon, maybe who knows.**

 **Chapter Master: The blind!Jaune universe is inspired by Netflix's show 'Daredevil', the badass!Jaune I took inspiration from Zoro, Kenshin and Naruto from Just A Simple Janitor.**

 **Chapter 1: Last Living Souls**

* * *

 _Jaune bowed his head in silence and stared at the small gravestone with lifeless eyes. He didn't know how long he stood there, his mind still in shock. The small gravestone was situated to another with a rose on it. The world, the war, nothing mattered now. Not when she was dead. The soft crunch of grass registered in his mind and a figure stood next to him. Both of them stood in silence as they stared at the graves. The words on the tombstone haunting them._

" _How are you holding up?" The man asked, his voice dead with no life in it._

" _Shouldn't I be asking you that, Qrow?" Jaune croaked and Qrow frowned in thought before that uncaring mask fell back into place._

" _Fair enough. I saw you at the funeral but you didn't come up to say anything." Silence filled the void, Qrow knew Jaune was hurting like he was becoming more and more '_ him' _._

" _Here this helps." Qrow handed him a bottle of whiskey and Jaune took the bottle in hand, uncorking it. "It's helped me for years."_

 _Jaune downed half of the bottle, the burning sensation at the back of his throat distracted him momentarily but the sorrow and anger was still there and he gave the bottle back to Qrow. He downed it with as much vigour as he did._

" _She saved everyone," Qrow muttered, he sat himself in front of the grave. "She fought against Cinder herself to give the Huntsmen enough time to retreat. Fought like a woman possessed, but that it wasn't enough. She used the last of her aura to nuke Cinder. Died in the blast but somehow Cinder still lived, gave the bitch a scar too. She couldn't heal from that at least. The intel she gave us was vital in tracking the location of Salem's citadel."_

 _Jaune's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they narrowed. "I take it you sent out scouts."_

" _Of course. We'll get the details soon before we storm the citadel."_

" _Does she know?"_

" _Yeah, she knows and she's furious. We'll need that." Qrow glanced at the bottle, still with a small amount before leaving it in front of the grave._

" _How do you deal with Qrow? The loss, the pain. Does it ever get better?" Jaune asked quietly, hoping in some way that the man beside him had an answer._

" _No, it never gets better, the alcohol makes you forget the pain for a moment but everything just keeps coming back, keep hurting. That's why you're looking at a ghost of man. Jaune, my niece... she's my last light, Jaune, if I lose her I can't…"_

 _Nothing else was said between the two. They both stewed in their own suffering, their hell, fueling their anger and rage against the enemy, against Salem. Qrow stood up and walked away from the grave before pausing. "Do you know what she said to me before she died."_

 _Jaune looked from the grave to Qrow. "She said that she regretted not seeing you one last time."_

 _Tears trailed down his cheeks as he finally let his sorrow consume him, his bowed once again before snapping up to him._

" _Tell me, Qrow, and don't lie to me. Did she suffer in the end?" Qrow paused and lone tear fell to the ground. "Her screams will haunt me forever."_

 _Jaune broke down and touched the lettering on the tombstone._

" _Oh please, don't let this be real. I can't lose you... not when I've lost so many." Jaune whispered before wailing in pain, releasing all his grief and despair._

 _Here lies Yang Xiao Long…_

* * *

Jaune awoke from the dream, screaming and tears streaming down his face as his mother burst into the room. Seeing him in such a distraught state worried her immensely and she pulled him into a hug.

"Shh, it's alright Jaune, it was just a nightmare." Juniper rubbed small circles on Jaune's back, trying her best to comfort her child. "It won't hurt you."

"But it hurts, Mom, it hurts so much." Jaune cried, his tears dampened Juniper's shirt. Alex stood by the door, his eyes softened and he made his way over to sit besides his wife and son.

Jaune couldn't stop crying, the scars from the past had opened up again, he thought that he had buried it and the nightmare only served to rip it open.

"It's okay we're here, I'm here." Alex hugged both of them and he looked down to see his eight-year old son was staring back with such a haunted expression that his heart broke seeing it.

"What happened, Jaune?"

"It was a scary nightmare, Dad, e-everyone was gone." Jaune's crying slowly trickled to sniffles and he leaned against his father.

"Well, everyone is here, Jaune." He hugged his son tightly. "Me, you, your mother and your sisters, they're all here. And we're never going to leave you. I promise."

Jaune nodded slowly and buried himself in the arms that engulfed him. He began to let go and he resolved himself that he was going to be there for his family, he would cherish every moment. For once, Jaune could finally rest and he steadily drifted into sleep surrounded by the love and warmth of his parents.

* * *

Juniper was a beautiful mother of eight children with light brown fox ears atop her head and had decided that a picnic was in order to cheer up Jaune's spirit and the entire family had gone out. She sat beneath the shade of the tree, her yellow sundress tucked underneath her and her green eyes watched her children play by the riverbank. She was proud of her family, the family she was raising, and all of her children. Amber, her eldest child at the age of 16 was lazing under the shade as well, her light chestnut hair covered her eyes as she snoozed away blissfully in her nap.

Azure was another of Jaune's elder sister, with her hair colour the same as her namesake and she was enjoying her day by soaking in the sun and she was lying on a towel with a book besides her. Her fox ears twitched at the laughter of her siblings but she ignored it and returned to her sunbathing. A smaller girl sat by her with dirty blonde hair tied in a ponytail and she was enjoying a book in her hands with studious eyes.

Autumn was unlike her sisters had red hair to match her fiery temper and had decided to simply hang out by the river becoming bored with the whole experience.

"Momma!" A little girl squealed running up to woman cutting into her contemplation, diving into her lap. She stroked the little girl's hair and tried to settle her down. Beautiful light blue eyes shined and Juniper kissed Lily's forehead. Lily giggled and squirmed in her mother's embrace.

"Where's your brother, Lily?" Lily pointed towards the river where he was playing with the twins, one with white hair and the other with black hair and mischievous blue eyes. Ebony and Ivory tried to chase him but he merely laughed it off.

"Momma, why was big brother screaming?" Juniper frowned at that question because she didn't know herself and the concern in Lily's eyes showed, she wanted to know what hurt her brother so badly.

"It was a bad dream, sweetie, just a bad dream." She reassured her daughter and Lily couldn't quite accept her answer, her nose scrunching cutely and she declared to herself.

"Then I'll cheer up big brother." Lily raced down the hill towards her big brother, a bundle of energy disguised as a child and she was heading straight for Jaune. His back was towards her and he didn't realise the blonde missile crash into him until he was face down in the river. A few bubbles popped up and the twins' laughter at his misfortune made the situation much more amusing to the rest of the family.

A shower of water rained down on the water as Jaune picked up Lily and put her on his shoulders.

"Rawr! I'm the great monster of the river and I shall take over the land with my minion!" Lily cheered her brother on and made some growling noises, seeing the act that their brother and sister were putting on they decided to join in as well.

"Ah my dear sister! We must defend the realm from this evil creature!" Ebony cried and picked up a stick in hand to challenge the creature.

"Yes dear sister, charge!" Ivory set forth into the river, intent on tackling Jaune.

"Go horsey!" Lily cheered and Jaune snorted in amusement.

"Hey, I'm not a horse!" Lily ignored him and tugged on his hair telling him to move. Jaune could see Ivory lunging towards him but she succeeded in making a big splash in the water as Jaune skillfully dodged her.

"Jauney, behind us!" Lily screamed in his ear and Ebony raised the mighty stick in the air, hoping to knock him back into the water. The brother/sister combination was too much however and Lily dived on top of Ebony bringing her down as well. Jaune laughed at the sight of his drenched sisters. They all had playful smiles and at unknown signal between them they pulled him down.

"He's much more happier now isn't he?" Alex sat under the shade with his wife, he only wore a tank top but it did nothing to hide the mountain of man that he was and his physique clearly showed it, his muscles like chiseled granite. Juniper lied back against his chest, enjoying the big comfortable teddy bear that she called her husband.

"Spending time with his family does that." Juniper sighed happily, seeing the smiles on their faces. Alex kissed the top of Juniper's head, pressing her body against his chest.

"And I have my wonderful wife to thank for that." Juniper's face flushed at the compliment and snuggled deeper into his chest.

"Oh stop it, Alex otherwise my faunus instincts might takeover." She said in a sing-song voice and a playful smile on her face while she subtly rubbed his crotch.

"Maybe that was what I was aiming for." Alex said with a roguish grin and embraced her. They begin to show their love on a much more... intimate level until a voice cut into their make-out session.

"Can you guys not do this when your daughter is taking a nap not five metres away from you." Amber said, with a little disgust in her voice at seeing her parents suck face with each other.

"Sorry." They said in unison, not sounding sorry at all and continued to scar Amber much to her horror.

* * *

Jaune relaxed with his family after they finished playing in the river and he sat back his blonde hair was messed up and blue eyes glanced at the sun that was dipping low in the horizon, painting the sky a myriad of orange and red. His thoughts strayed towards a red-head that he was reminded of and he became regretful. Phyrra. How long had it been? How long would he have to wait to see her again? He wanted to go see her again, to hold her, so many wants but he would have to be patient and he had to bring his mind back to the past.

Lily was tugging at her sister's arm, trying to get her to play and the young blonde seemed to be getting more annoyed each second as her reading time was getting cut into. "C'mon Christy, let's play hide and seek!"

The girl screwed her face in thought and she said with the bluntest tone she could muster. "Hmm, no."

"Aww, please? Please, please, please, please please." Lily's became teary-eyed and she sniffed and the dreaded puppy dog eyes came in full force.

"How about I play?" Jaune came to Crystal's rescue as she was ready to crumble under the look. How she

"Okay, count to thirty and don't peek or else!" With her final warning in place, she dashed off towards the forest and he closed his eyes counting to thirty loudly for Lily's benefit. He opened his eyes to see Crystal still in front of him reading her book.

"Oh no, you found me." Crystal deadpanned, still seated and her eyes not at all leaving her beloved book.

"You can at least try, Christy." He shook his head in exasperation at her laziness and made his way to the forest. "I swear you take after Amber too much."

"I trained you well." Amber nodded at her younger sister and Crystal had a small smirk on her face. "I learnt from the best."

He made his way through the underbrush of the forest and thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea to encourage Lily to play hide and seek when it was so close to dusk. But he was persistent in finding Lily and he did want her to enjoy this outing as much as possible. He blamed his soft spot for his youngest.

* * *

He crouched down at the forest floor, taking a pinch of the dirt and inspected it between his fingers. He did have experience of being a huntsmen for over twenty years and he often spent some of those years tracking Grimm. A little girl in a forest. Piece of cake.

"Lily, come out! It's getting dark now!" He shouted and he was met with silence. He continued on with the knowledge that it had rained recently and the forest floor was still damp. He could make out the footprints she left behind that was leading deeper into the forest.

"I'm serious, Lily." He turned around when he heard the bush rustling and made his way over. He was about to reach forward when a shadow leapt towards him. He was about to catch it in his arms when he noticed that this shadow had a bone mask and fangs and managed to punch it away in time. The Beowolf cub whimpered and scurried away, this filled Jaune with dread and he needed to find Lily fast.

"Lily! Lily!" He was answered with numerous howls and fear crept into his mind. He was too young, his body wasn't strong enough and he hadn't unlocked his aura yet. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he rushed through the forest, coming closer to the howling to find that Lily was surrounded, her back against a tree whimpering in fear. A pack of beowolves were there and he was quick to draw their attention by throwing rocks at them.

"Hey over here!" He shouted, their attention now directed at him and the pack stalked closer to him now. "C'mon."

"No, Jaune!" They lunged towards him and and his hardened instincts allowed him to dodge their bites and slashes from their claws. He was steadily making his way forward towards his sister. His body weaved through the claws and he flipped through every opening that allowed him to get closer. A beowolf's attention however was solely focused on Lily and its fangs were ready to tear apart Lily.

"No!" His eyes glowed white briefly and his body shimmered in a blur of speed as he grabbed his little sister. She was shivering in fear and she looked up to see her brother holding her. He hugged his little sister and ignore the burning sensation on his arms and legs.

"Jaune, you're bleeding!" Lily cried, tears in her eyes at seeing her brother hurt.

"I'll be fine." He didn't come out unscathed from his dodge marathon and blood stained his clothes, his body being too slow to entirely move out of every swipe and the beowolves seemed more eager for blood.

"I'm scared, Jaune." Those words rang through his mind and a beowulf pounced forward, ready to end their lives.

* * *

 _Rain pelted him and blood soaked his hands as he gazed into two silver orbs. He held the slender figure in his arms, bleeding and dying. He was running with her in his arms and her arm slung over his shoulders. Her head rolling back and forward, in and out of consciousness._

" _Jaune, stop…" She murmured, her breaths coming in desperate pants. Jaune kept running making out shadowy figures in the distance._

" _I'm not gonna stop, Ruby, not until reinforcements come along." Bombs whistled through the air near their position, dirt rising in a spectacular shower and the figures in the distance were coming closer._

" _Look, Ruby, reinforcements are here, you're gonna be alright." Jaune smiled in relief and tears sprung in his eyes which slowly turned to horror when he realised the shadowy figures were Grimm, of all shapes and sizes._

" _Let me down, Jaune, please…" She whispered and he complied, letting her rest against a rock as angry tears streamed down his face at the hopelessness of the situation. He punched the ground in rage. He felt so useless._

" _Don't die on me, Jaune. Go." His heart broke at hearing those words, seeing the blood run down her mouth and the resigned look in her eyes._

" _I can't leave you, Ruby! We were so close! Damnit you were the one who was supposed to outlast me." He honestly wished that he wasn't so pathetic, he wished that wasn't so slow and he wished that Ruby didn't take the hit for him. "I'm so fucking useless!"_

" _You're not useless. You're special and we need your leadership to win this." She coughed up blood and began hyperventilating as she began to look around in fear._

" _I'm scared, Jaune." He hugged her body close to him, not caring at all as how her blood stained his armour. "I know, I'm scared too." The Grimm were getting closer and Salem's army was trailing behind them. Her breathing was more erratic and his grip became tighter, dearly wishing that this wasn't happening. He gazed into his eyes and she let out one final breath._

" _I love you." Jaune's world shattered as Ruby Rose passed away with a smile on her face. Hot tears trailed down his eyes and he closed his eyes shut as he laid her down on the ground peacefully, taking Crescent Rose and Crocea Mors in hand. His eyes snapped open, unholy rage filled his entire being as a pillar of aura burst from him. The Grimm knew fear that day._

* * *

A pillar of white light burst from Jaune and his aura formed two crude swords in his hand. The beowolf disintegrated in mid-lunge and his eyes glowed white. Jaune walked forward as the beowolves growled at him, threateningly. The warrior within Jaune emerged as he looked at them through calculating, cold eyes and he rushed forward.

A blade sunk into their skull and ripped out, bone and blood flying. A lunge forward and Jaune side-stepped and brought his blade up, severing the Grimm into two. He flew forward with purpose, slicing, stabbing, killing. Anything that would harm his sister. Fangs bit into flesh and he continued forward with a furious roar, his blade decapitating the offending Grimm.

Jaune finally came face to face with the Alpha and he panted tiredly, blood seeping down his face and his body shook from the untold amount of aura coursing through him.

The Alpha roared at him in challenge and rushed forward to meet Jaune. Jaune charged forward ignoring the screaming protests of his body as the Alpha brought its black arm back. He dived down, his face missing the spikes that was about to pierce him. His swords dug into the ground stopping his momentum and he brought his blade up to block another swipe and felt himself faltering as his aura waned.

"Big brother, you can do it!" Lily cheered and Jaune managed to push the arm away from him slicing the appendage off.

The Alpha roared again in pain as blood forth from the stump and his blade shattered like glass. Jaune fell back in exhaustion and the Alpha sensed this moment of weakness and was prepared to bury its claws into him. Jaune reacted in time and brought his other sword, driving through the beowolf's throat and he gasped in pain to see one of its claws had pierced him.

The last thing he saw was his father and sister, Amber, bursting from the forest, his battleaxe and her bow trained at the Grimm before their eyes sought his, widening in horror.

* * *

 **Alright don't forget to follow, favourite and review. I will try to post this chapter and I'm making no promises by next Monday. Until then...**

 **Sage Out!**


	3. Baby Steps

**One Step Forward**

 **This is a rewrite of my third chapter as the one I posted first was not something that I felt happy with. I actually finished watching the third volume of RWBY and it was both heart-breaking and phenomenal. Also there may be a bit of a hiatus for next chapter as I need to focus on my catching up with my schoolwork so expect infrequent and long updates. Yeah I don't like it either.**

 **csad21: I read your reviews and I realised that I may have been lazy in writing this chapter hence the rewrite. There is a reason why Juniper and Azure is a faunus and that will be explained sooner or later in the story. Don't want to spoil it.**

 **garoorar: I aim to tease.**

 **Chapter 2: Baby Steps**

* * *

Black, darkness, the inky void. Something familiar, he considered and a hollow laugh burst from his lips. A buzzing sensation appeared in the back of his mind, an irritating sound if he ever knew one and he was becoming more annoyed trying to find the source when he stopped. A light piercing the dark as he winced from the intensity of it. He blinked his eyes and saw gleaming white armour standing in front of him. A literal white knight. The massive claymore it held was stabbed into the ground and another massive sword rested against the knight's shoulder. His attention shifted towards the lion's head featured on the chest plate as if the hands of Monty himself crafted it. The knight's helmet had a single horn that jutted back and it obscured the face hidden underneath save for two gleaming sapphire eyes that was filled with raw determination.

Jaune's attention diverted to the four other statues except instead of the colour and life-like features, it looked as if every single statue was made of stone.

He made his way over to the second statue, his eyes were covered by a blindfold but he had a content smile on his face as if he knew the biggest secret in the world, and in his hands were two tonfas that if he examined it closely, it could shift into another weapon. He ignored that for the time being and moved onto the third statue. He was about to reach it when he couldn't move. The buzzing sensation was back and became piercing in an instant. He wanted the pain to end, to go away and it was gone in an instant and so was he.

* * *

Jaune didn't visibly react when he woke up, he listened to the monitors with their dull beep giving a sign to the world that he was alive. The tightness in his chest all but disappeared, his arms didn't feel like lead and there was someone sleeping by his side. The chatter in the room was what interested him however.

"How could this happen, Alex? I thought the borders were protected by the other huntsmen, how did such a large group get past them?" Juniper covered her eyes feeling frustration at the situation and exhaustion from the constant worrying at seeing her son in the hospital bed.

"I don't know, all this seems suspicious but I'll have a word with them. And if I find out that they were sleeping on the job well…" Jaune could feel it, the warrior in his father just through his tone and the person snuggling next to him nuzzled closer to her body.

"You should have seen him though, Juni. There were piles of dead beowolves and he took down the alpha by himself." Alex closed his eyes in thought at the memory of his son slaying the pack by himself.

"Fear does that to you, it can motivate you to do incredible feats. I can attest to that." Juniper said lowly.

"Yeah, maybe but that's the thing, Juni." Alex opened his eyes and looked at his wife with a stern expression. "He wasn't afraid. At all. I could see the rage in his eyes, like he had the wrath of an angry god."

"Alex!" Juniper felt offended that her husband would call her son such a thing, she couldn't believe that her sweet boy was like that, he was only eight.

"Sorry but you should have seen him, he has the natural instincts of a warrior in him. And that makes me proud and terrified at how fast he's growing." Alex sighed deeply and felt Juniper hug him, she mumbled something in his chest that he couldn't make out."What was that, darling?"

"I blame your genes for this, seriously why couldn't one of you Arc's be a baker or something, just so I know Jaune can be safe." Alex laughed heartily at that and Juniper came closer to Jaune's bed and Jaune no longer felt the warmth from whoever was sleeping besides him.

"C'mon, baby, it's time to go." She ushered her daughter into her arms and Jaune immediately knew who was sleeping next to him, recognising that squeaky voice anywhere.

"Hm… don't wanna… Jauney… warm." Lily protested weakly, too tired as she was lulled back into sleep by her mother. Juniper smiled at her daughter's cuteness and went to leave. "Please tell me when he wakes up, his sisters are worried about him too."

"I will." With a confirmation in mind, her footsteps receded and there was only the hum of the monitor and his father sat on one of the other hospital chairs. "So are you going to pretend to be sleeping or do you want to wake up?"

Jaune weighed the pros and cons before opening his eyes and the light from the room quickly rushed into them, closing them shut. He pulled himself up, wincing at the phantom pain in his chest. He took note of the room he was in, white, white and searing white. The hospital room had one window situated so he could view the city, there were a few miscellaneous things here and there to liven it up. A few potted plants, some drawings former patients most likely kids and he turned his attention to his father. "Well that was an unfortunate turn of events."

"Jaune or some weird alien body snatcher, if you're trying to impersonate my son, you'd better tone down the vocabulary." Alex joked and Jaune deadpanned at him. "Oh ha ha."

"Jaune watching you get skewered by that Alpha... that scared me more than anything else but you're shrugging it off like you're making commenting about the weather, even I can tell that's not normal." Jaune remained silent at his statement and he knew maybe using a big vocabulary and not at all caring that he got stabbed in the lung was probably not a good idea.

"And what you did back there with the swords that takes an unparalleled amount of skill." Jaune was about to refute his argument when Alex held up his hand. "I'm not finished. You're going to say that it was all instinct and how you let your guard down but I've seen what anger does to the best of people even skilled warriors make mistakes. There's also the fact that you managed to unlock aura. By yourself. And you physically manifested them into swords."

Jaune realised that doing something like that did warrant attention but he didn't regret it for one moment, he would do anything for his family. Alex sighed deeply through his nose and stared Jaune straight in the eyes.

"I was surprised at the amount of aura that you had, your wounds are completely healed. There's not a scratch on you no scar from your the stab." Jaune shrunk in his hospital bed and Alex released a weary breath.

"Thank you, Jaune, for saving your little sister. I will always be proud of you being a big brother to Lily." Jaune blinked in surprise, he couldn't remember in his previous life where his father ever said that to him, he had always been weak and really if he looked back far enough his sword-work was pathetic and he could see why his father would be disappointed.

"Thank you dad." Jaune couldn't help the tired smile on his face..

"There are questions that need to be answered Jaune. The skills that you acquired, the massive amount of aura that surpasses my reserves and that look that you had when I saw you the other night. The ones that I see veteran huntsmen have." Jaune winced at the interrogation but he had resolved himself that he wouldn't tell him about the future. No, not yet he wasn't ready.

"I can't tell you, dad."

"Can't or won't?"

"Dad, please just... just let me keep this secret and I'll tell you, one day." Alex's piercing gaze met Jaune's exhausted stare before he broke contact. There was a few minutes of silence and Alex turned to Jaune, his voice resolute when he spoke his next words.

"I don't like this son. You're in pain, I can see it, I want to help you but you're not letting me. And as much as I hate to say these words, I won't pry any further. But when you tell me on how you managed to do... what you did, I want all of the details. I am your father Jaune, I worry about the safety and well-being of all my children." Boy was he looking forward to that conversation. Hey dad remember that time I died when I was born? Turns out I'm a soul from an alternate future where everything has gone to hell but it's okay I'm going to train so I can change the future. Yeah that conversation would go real well.

"Thanks, dad." Alex's serious gaze turned into a mischievous smirk, one where he had seen on two terrifying twins.

"Oh don't thank me yet not when your mother hears that you're awake." Jaune paled immediately and Alex yelled at the door. "Honey! Jaune's awake."

Jaune felt the crushing embrace of his mother before he knew what happened as the door swung wide open followed by all of his sisters. Really, his mother could match Ruby in terms of pure speed if she managed to be by his side so quickly.

"Jaune!" Emotions swirled in those green orbs, fear, anxiety and relief. He realised those green eyes belonged to his mother. She hugged him tightly and he could feel his shoulders getting damp. His mother was crying. Damn, he felt like an ass.

"Jaune, you're alright. Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Juniper sniffed, she fussed over him and saw someone peering over the foot of his hospital bed. Dark blue met sky blue and Lily jumped on the bed and tackled her big brother into a hug.

"Jauney!" A rush of air left him and he could feel his ribs being crushed by the tiny girl hugging him.

"Lily… ribs… need air." He breathed more easily and looked down to see Lily had tears glistening in her eyes. "Stupid."

"Sorry, Lily, I promise I'll be more careful next time." Jaune ruffled the little girl's hair and she beamed her toothy grin at him, her tiny arms wrapped around him and nuzzled her head into his chest.

"How about you promise that you won't risk your life like that again?" Juniper said sternly and the motherly frown she had scared Jaune more than anything else in his life.

"Lighten up on the kid, Juniper." Alex had never been more cowed in his life when Juniper turned her head mechanically towards him and gave him a look that promised pain or a life of celibacy if he wasn't careful with his next words. "I mean Jaune listen to your mother and don't risk your life like that."

Amber walked up to Jaune, her face the epitome of uninterested and yet he could see that she cared in her own way. Like right now.

"You scared us quite a bit, little bro." Amber walked up to him and punched him hard in the shoulder. Yeah he deserved that and he couldn't wincing and could feel his aura immediately healing the bruised area. "Don't ever do that again."

Jaune guessed that was the most affection his elder sister would show him and Alex had an amused expression on his face.

"So does that mean I'm grounded for life?" Alex however moved to stop Juniper from whatever she was going to say.

"Actually Jaune now that you've unlocked your aura, we're going to have to start your training earlier than expected. You have to learn how to defend yourself now that the Grimm are going to be coming after you as well." Seeing the deadly glare his wife was sending his way, he sent a pleading gaze and her eyes softened and she resigned to herself that it was going to be inevitable.

"Fine." Juniper said with finality and Alex knew that there were going to be pros and cons to this decision. The withering look from his wife showed that she didn't like this decision at all and he knew that he would pay for it. Seriously how did a picnic lead him to sleeping on the couch?

* * *

Jaune panted heavily, his knees hitting the dirt. His father however just seemed shy of being a little out of breath. It was late in the afternoon and they were in the backyard of the family home. A log post was situated near the corner and a few logs were strewn around the training ring where four of his sisters sat. Lily cheered for Jaune, Crystal was making notes and keep an analytical eye on the spar, Autumn took some sadistic pleasure at seeing Jaune getting curbstomped by his father and Amber just sat leisurely on the side, one eye open in interest.

"You got some cute tricks." Jaune rolled out of the way and the massive battle-axe dropped down to where he was. "But not good enough."

Jaune raised his shield to parry his next heavy blow to the side and his sword was singing through the air ready to slice him from shoulder to hip but Alex wasn't a seasoned veteran for nothing and managed to block the blade with the axe handle, kicking him away in his unguarded midsection.

Alex twisted his battleaxe around him, the flatside ready to slam into Jaune's midsection. He brought up his sword in time to block it but his bones rattled at the force. Seeing an opportunity, he collapsed his shield into sheathe form and brought it forward to bludgeon the man, who took the hit but it didn't faze him in the slightest.

"Dodge!" Jaune didn't know how he ended up on the ground but if the way his chest heaved and groaned, then the punch he got from his dad told a lot.

"Hate you, hate you so much." Jaune leaned on his sword for support and almost stumbled, panting tiredly.

"Alright that's enough sparring," Alex threw a water bottle at him, who caught it and took a deep drink, relishing the cool liquid going down his throat. "So girls, how would you rate Jaune's performance?"

Lily bought her card up the scrawled drawing of a 10 and her beaming grin lifted his spirits, really she reminded him so much of Nora and he paused at the thought of them meeting in each other. Monty help them if they did. Crystal merely raised her card, an elegant 7 fixed on it and she returned to taking notes. Jaune could reason that his young body couldn't match the speed and power of a high-level battle so he took that in stride but Autumn's score dampened his spirits with a low 4.

"Damn, do I suck that much?" A depressed air hung around him as he drew small circles in the sand.

"You're doing exceptionally well for a kid your age, Jaune." Amber commented, moving forward with purpose as she grabbed one of the training swords holding it up before switching to a bow staff. "Going half an hour against dad, that takes some skill or sheer stubbornness."

Jaune's breath evened out and he was ready to get back into the spar. "Alright, I'll be your next trainer, it'll be so nice to someone who doesn't keep shrugging off attacks like they were nothing."

"I don't always shrug off attacks sometimes I have to be careful too." Alex amused herself burying his battle axe in the stump next to him. "There was this one time where Juni had her revolver pointed at my testi-"

"Okay dad, too much information." Amber twirled two training swords in hand and stood in the center of the circle and offered one of the blades to him. He grabbed the sword and began to twist the blade in his hands, getting a good feel for it. They both stood ready, Jaune had opted for a two-handed grip while Amber held her blade to the side in a lazy one-handed grip.

"Alright Amber, I want you to teach him form four." Alex called to the side, Lily had already climbed the mountain of a man and was sitting happily on his shoulder. Whether he gave any indication that Lily's weight bothered him or not, he continued to observe his children before him. Amber went through the motions showing what to do first by demonstrating on Jaune first. She jabbed first which he went to defend but found that her blade had weaved around his and the tip of her sword rested on where his heart would be, his sword was outstretched to the side and he was open for attack. They went to perform this a few times and Jaune continued to watch analytically.

"Alright Jaune, I want you to use form four against Amber." Jaune went to attack, his sword was quickly deflected before he was able to perform the move.

"Too slow, again." Jaune grunted and went again, moving faster this time but he over-extended and his back was on the ground again.

"Control yourself, Jaune." Alex's voice boomed once again at him and Jaune readied himself breathing slowly. Eyes closed, he blocked out the world and a memory flashed in his mind.

The world slowed down and he moved again. His muscles flexed and the sword shot forward, Amber was ready to meet his in a clash of steel when his sword weaved around hers. Amber found the tip of a sword at her throat. Her eyes locked onto Jaune's and she almost flinched at the look. He blinked and it was gone.

"Ah sorry about that sis," He let down his sword and Amber stepped back, letting out a breath.

"Don't worry, that was great work. Brilliant." She praised and she stepped back into the circle.

"Alright, let's see if you can put your skills in actual combat." Hearing the challenge in her voice, he couldn't help the small grin on his face.

* * *

Jaune sat comfortably on the sofa chair, gazing at the stars and the shattered moon. The stars reminded him of the beauty of the world and the universe and he couldn't help wonder why everyone were so driven to fight one another.

The White Fang he could sympathize to an extent but their methods just continued the cycle of hatred and discrimination and in turn, the authority had no choice but to respond with force. This brought fear towards the Faunus as they could no longer take the discrimination and would later join the White Fang fueling their agenda. Jaune couldn't help but shake his head at how much the situation could've been prevented if people took the time to talk, to listen and to understand. He lamented that fear and hatred would always be a part of everyone, Human and Faunus. A problem he would have to work on another day.

He lost himself to his memories and began to sing.

"Distant stars, come in black or red." A memory appeared in his mind, of Pyrrha and their time together. "I've seen their worlds, inside my head."

Her smile illuminated his world, it made him feel confident and be the best that he could be. Even when he had so much doubt in himself, she believed in him. Monty, he was an idiot for not seeing it sooner.

"They connect with the fall of man." The devastation and heartbreak he felt when news of her death reached him. He didn't want to believe but he had to be a pillar of support for Ruby who actually saw her die by her hand. "They breath you in and dive as deep as they can."

But nothing would compare when he saw her again, corrupted by Salem. Jaune turned to the side hearing the applause from Azure and she sat next to him.

"I didn't know that you could sing." Azure came closer and sat beside him on the chair.

"I'm not the one with the talent for singing." Azure waved her hand in an off-hand manner and she stared at the night sky.

"Why were you singing?"

"Don't know, just felt like it."

"Jaune you know you can talk to me, to any of us." No, he couldn't. He really couldn't. The future was his burden to bear and he wouldn't want his sisters knowing the bleak future he'd come from.

"I know, Azure but I'm fine and I'm just feeling like singing."

"Since when does an eight-year old feel like singing soulfully into the night?"

"Since you felt like starting a music career a year ago." He joked and she ruffled his messy hair and tickled the hell out of him.

* * *

Several weeks had past since 'the Grimm incident', Jaune had gotten stronger using his past experiences to help him. He would occasionally have nightmares of his previous life, they were manageable but he couldn't go back to sleep. He would practice on the guitar that Azure had gifted him and that would calm him down, losing himself to the music instead of the nightmares. Amber would continue to be his training partner before she had to go back to Beacon but not before giving him her unique apathetic thanks and the slothful huntress-in-training left.

Currently, Jaune was with Lily and Crystal and they were walking in town with an unknown destination in mind.

"Ooh, ooh let's go to the arcade!" Lily tugged at her brother's arm. "No, no let's go to the shop with all the big guns."

"How about something less noisy like the bookstore?" Crystal peeked up from her book.

"Aww but books are boring." Lily whined, much to Crystal's annoyance at the insult towards her beloved books.

"How about we go to the arcade then the bookstore?" Jaune attempted to placate the two but they both huffed at him. He always wondered how he dealt with these two in his last life but he remembered that he didn't exactly have a solid plan to that. Saying yes to every request until the problem went away was always his plan but he had the experience of hanging out with six very different and very hormonal teenage girls in his other life but he thanked Monty for small mercies. Amber was probably the poster-child for lazy and Azure was focused on her music career however he still had Autumn and the twins to contend with, he dread the day that Aunt Flow would visit them.

"FREAK!"

He paused at the sudden announcement. He turned his head to find the source of the bizarre noise, to see that there was a ring of children all surround a smaller figure. Lily gripped his hand a little tighter and scrunched up her nose in... anger? He had never seen Lily display any emotion related to anger, he always saw the happy bubbly girl and Crystal's eyes flashed dangerously. Guess he had to break it up.

"What's going on here?" He moved between two of the kids, Lily still had the adorable glare but he had the feeling they she would cause mayhem if she was angered enough and Crystal was behind him hiding her face behind her book but still keeping an eye. His attention was drawn to the small girl and his brain stopped.

It was unmistakable when he first laid eyes on her hair. The first half of it was brown but the other half was pink mixed with white streaks. Her eyes cycled from brown to pale pink and white and the blank expression on her face told Jaune exactly who the person in front of him was.

Neo.

Those eyes peered at him curiously, flitting to his sisters beside him for a second before focusing on him. He had always felt confident that he kept a calm mask on the surface but inwardly his thoughts were more along the line of 'What. The. Fuck.'

"Why don't you buzz off, loser?" A round of laughter erupted from their throats. A mental groan and he wondered why oh why did he have to deal with immature brats.

"I can't really 'buzz off' when a bunch of kids suddenly yell 'freak' in broad daylight and not, you know, be curious on why. So why are you calling her a freak?" He questioned to the speaker, he assumed that he was the leader judging as how his fellow bullies seemed to be looking at him to knock the new kid down a peg. Ah the cruelty of children.

"What's it matter to ya, besides look at her eyes, they're freaky and freaky eyes belong to a freak." He had to commend the boy's expansive vocabulary and knew that the future was safe in the next generation of these idiots. He couldn't blame them. No not really. They were young and dumb.

"So you're telling me that you're calling her a freak because she's got different eye colours. You know it makes perfect sense. You're all idiots." All the kids looked like they got slapped and the leader just got angrier.

"What'd you say?"

"She's got different eye colours, so what? Does it affect your life in such a profound way? Oh, it's so terrible my life has been changed because a girl I don't know has pink and brown eyes." Jaune couldn't help the mocking tone in his voice. He really couldn't. It was his defense mechanism against stupid. They didn't take that to well.

"Are you telling me what to do?" The boy stepped forward and the mental groan was louder. He was being threatened by a thirteen-year, for Oum's sake.

"Look, you can just leave her alone and be on your merry way, no fuss." He gently ushered Lily towards Crystal who had the foresight to move back and Neo was still in the middle with Jaune keeping her cool blank gaze still observing him. The boys surrounded them and they jeered and screamed insults. Oh he was really doing this, wasn't he?

"Behind you!" Crystal's voice was raised in warning and he simply moved, grabbing Neo's shoulder as a boy from behind tried to shove him. The boy started to cry staring at his scrapped hands and knees.

"Hey bro." The boy through his tears looked up at him. "Walk it off."

A fist sailed towards him and he spun out of the way with Neo who had a mischievous glint in her eye and stuck her foot out, tripping him. The bully landed on top of his friend and their heads collided against each other. The collective shock lasted for a moment before they scattered and a big grin was plastered on both Lily's and Neo's face.

"So who wants ice-cream?"

* * *

 **TEASER 1**

Adam stepped forward menacingly and bloodlust started to leak out of him.

"Who are you?" Adam barked at the masked man. The man tilted his head before he put a finger to his mask. Blake sweated heavily at the man's presence and Adam was already past her, hand drawn on Wilt. Wilt was already out and the blade inches away from decapitating him.

A hand rose up and the blade was stopped in its track. Blake stared in opened-mouth shock and Adam's eyes widened beneath his mask.

* * *

 **TEASER 2**

"You know, Neo, I've always enjoyed these small talks we've always had." Neopolitan's only response was another spoonful of ice-cream served to her.

"..." Jaune took back the spoon and dipped it into the cup.

"I feel like I can really connect with you, show you the real me." Jaune looked over to see that Neo had stopped eating and was staring intently at him with a clear purpose in mind.

"..."

"You wanna have sex again, don't you?" Neo grinned widely.

* * *

 **TEASER 3**

"I'm sorry that I had to do this, Penny. I'll always be your friend." Jaune's eyes welled with tears and his gauntlets transformed.

"Thank you, Jaune." Penny's voice garbled and cracked as her green eyes flashed red. Her swords rose in the air and Jaune met them with his own blade.

* * *

 **TEASER 4**

"Oh and what do you hope to accomplish, you're just a simple huntsmen." Cinder remarked with a cruel smirk. "While I have the powers of the Fall Maiden."

Ren panted tiredly, blood dripped down his forehead and one of his eyes shut in exhaustion.

"Do you seriously think you can take me on? Not with your aura levels. You're not on Glynda's level, on Ozpin's and you're certainly not on Jaune's. You can't even protect your girlfriend." Ren stared down at his hands and the words triggered a cold and burning rage in him. His head snapped up to her and aura flashed into his eyes.

"Yeah well you know what? Fuck aura levels." Aura flared from his body becoming visible.

"Fuck Maiden powers." The wind whipped furiously around them as Nora looked in astonishment at him. Ren clenched his fists tightly.

"And fuck you!" The world exploded in a blinding light.

* * *

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